Hail to the King
by LittleBadRidingWolf
Summary: Each boy over 7 years be taken to train and serve the king as soldiers, but the thirst for revenge is strong in some. After years under the kings tyranny, troops Michael, Jack, Geoff, Ray, and Gavin are challenged by the Mad King to finally bring him down, but he has his own secrets. Our heroes must survive the madness of the king, and fight to save their kingdom.
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Achievement City

Michael squinted through the hole in the canvas wagon-side, but quickly wished he hadn't. There lie his mother, eyes wide and glassy as the crimson flowed from her head, and beside her the soldier that had thrown her hard upon the stones. The sight of her tore him apart but he couldn't bring himself to look away, until the soldiers returned. A fire burned inside the boy when he saw the soldier take a seat in the wagon, hands stained with blood. _Her_ blood. Little fists balled and shook against the chains, he wasn't the only one. Two other boys, just about his age were shaking with tears in their eyes. One was taller with bright red hair, the other dark holding something in his hands. A loud crackle came from behind them as the wagon shook and began to move on. Through the hole he saw his house in flames, fire eating away at the place her grew up and the woman who raised him. She was the only one he had left _Was._

Rage grew in the child, "You killed her-" He said quietly. Slowly it built and built, a pain nearly unbearable in the boy's chest. "You killed her-!" Suddenly he pounced on the soldier across from him. "YOU KILLED HER!" His nails scratched at his face and ripped his neck, blood spilling onto Michaels face. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS! DO YOU HEAR ME!"

The other men grabbed at him, trying to pry him off their companion. The two boys looked on in terror.

"I'LL RIP YOUR FUCKING HEART OUT AND WATCH YOU DIE!" His fists threw blows to the face, "I'LL LAUGH AT YOUR DEATH AND PISS ON YOUR FUCKING GRAVE! I SWEAR TO-"

 _BAM!_

The boy lay on the floor of the wagon, his head warm and sticky. When he opened his eyes there was a blade aimed at his throat, forcing him to stay down for even the slightest move would be his end.

X X X

The men took them to a group of buildings surrounded by a wall, like a city. One by one they were forced out, Michael having to be held down by two soldiers. The boys saw that they weren't the only ones. Hundreds of young boys, beaten and bloody the whole lot, were chained and gathered there. All were too frightened to speak, but a low murmur of whispers fell between them. But then, the semi-silence was broken by footsteps. Heads turned to what looked like a giant platform, all green and black.

And there he was.

His face was cruel in the harsh torch light. Rugged and tall, he stood regally, like a wolf staring down its prey. The man wore a cape and a kilt with a long blade strapped to the side; dual edged, shining in an impossible way. It wasn't steel, or iron, or anything Michael had ever seen.

"Diamond!?" gasped the boy beside him.

The cape was a piercing red, lined with a black fur, and resting upon his head a crown; golden like the sun, studded with jewels. However they did not have the beauty of gems. Though they shined like perfection, they seemed like a trophy of the hunt. Merely a dead thing on the wall, lining the crown of the king

They waited in anticipation, wondering what the king would say, but it never came. He merely grinned and turned to walk away.

"WAIT!" a voice pushed through the crowd as a boy, pale as the moon, darted out of guard's reach and leaped onto the platform. Only steps from the king. There he barked, "How _dare_ you walk away from us! Not even saying a goddamn thing after what I'm guessing _you_ did! Why did you bring us here?!"

Soldiers climbed up to detain him but the golden haired king held a hand out. A clear gesture to halt. He turned to face the lad, a grin laid upon his face almost kindly. With each step he took, the more the daring child puffed out his chest. Like a cat, trying to appear more threatening to a predator.

Suddenly the king brought down his hand, slapping the child with such force he flew back landing square on his back. He then chuckled and turned back to leave. This time, no one dared to speak. But a clear voice echoed from the menace, his tone sinister and teasing.

"Welcome to Achievement City."

Once the king had left, the soldiers assigned them to the barracks lining the city. Each could house about twenty boys, but Michael did not join them. Instead they carried him away from the rest to a small shack. It was empty except for a trap door in the corner floor. They forced him down and shut him in. It lead to a room much larger than the shack, obviously underground. Inside was nothing but a long line of hay-stuffed sacks, some cotton blankets and a torch burning on the wall. The black walls were covered in scratch marks that appeared to spell out something but the torchlight wasn't even close to sufficient. But before he could think, the trapdoor above opened once more and down came three boys that fell with a sickening _thud_. Two were the red headed boy and dark boy from the wagon, and the third the boy that questioned the king.

The last called back to the shut door with a frustrated anger, "You get back here! I'll fucking FIGHT YOU!" But he didn't last, and just kicked one of the hay-sacks and sat on it.

They four looked at each other with eyes that questioned but didn't have the energy to care. Their silence persisted, until the red haired one sat on the sack with the other. He let his head fall, not looking at the other.

"That was really brave…what you did up there."

Michael scoffed, "Yeah, brave but stupid as ever."

"You shut up!" came the voice of the dark boy in the corner, still cradling something in his hands. "You're the one who attacked that soldier. Did you _really_ think you could take him out?" Michael stayed silent. "Yeah, that's what I thought." He wiped away some tears left over, "…but that was brave too, I guess."

They all met eyes, no longer wide with fear. The red haired one opened his mouth to speak but they were suddenly met by a sharp scream crying out. The door opened once more and a small boy fell, weeping like a banshee and covered in both blood and tears. He curled into a ball where he dropped and cried, no one daring to speak. After what felt like forever, the little one began to come down. A gentle hand reached and touched his shoulder, giving him a jump.

"Hey, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you."

He looked up at the voice, meeting Michael's eyes. "What's your name?"

He hiccupped a bit, trying to compose himself, "G-Gavin-"

They noticed he had an accent. "Well, my name's Michael."

"I'm Jack." The red haired boy came forward and took Gavin's hand to pull him up. He was incredibly skinny, like a skeleton. Jack turned to the boy on the sack who just sighed, and gave up trying to look tough.

"I'm Geoff."

"Ray." Came the voice from the corner.

"Did they raid your home too?" Asked jack.

Gavin nodded, "My mum and dad were inside, so they locked them in and set it on fire." Tears welled up in his greenish-blue eyes, "My brother and I-" He broke into tears once more, clinging to Michael's shirt. "Th-they tried to take my brother away-b-but he wouldn't let go-o of me-" he gasped trying to catch his breath. "-so they- they got angry a-and he slashed my brothers arm-"

Ray turned his head. He knew what happened after. He saw it. He saw the men try to take the two boys to different barracks, but they held onto each other. They were down to one hand but they held on. Ray remembered the sound the boys arm made when he watched it pull out of socket. One soldier grew impatient and unsheathed his sword and swung. There were a disgusting slash and a scream of agony, for Gavin was holding onto his brothers severed hand. The stump wrist was oozing blood and they dropped him to the floor, the lad curling up in the red puddle. The man with his sword then looked over him and said something they would never forget.

"-'If you can't fight you don't deserve to live'!" The frail boy sobbed against the others chest, "— _a-and he killed him!_ " His thin body shook violently, "They killed my brother-right in front of me-"

Michael put his arms around him, knowing exactly how he felt. "It's gonna' be okay, Gavin." Inside, Michael was like a stone, unfeeling, but this child needed someone. When they killed his mother he wanted to break down, but he couldn't. All he had was his rage when really he wanted someone to hold onto. Someone to tell _him_ it was going to be okay. So right now he was going to be that person.

"You're gonna be okay, Gavin." There was a pause as he thought over the words he never imagined saying. "I'm your brother now, and I won't let go. I promise."

Ray came out of the corner, and put a hand on Gavin's shoulder. "I promise, too." In the other hand he revealed what he cradled; an ashy rose head, the stem probably lost but his hands were non the less punctured all over from thorns. "You guys can count on me." He tossed a look to the others. Jack nodded.

"I'm with you guys-" Geoff rang, "But I'm nobody's brother."

They couldn't help but smirk.


	2. Chapter 2: Into the Wood

Chapter 2: Into the Wood

Dawn seemed to come faster than normal. It had been seven months since the raid, but the blows thrown at them stung like it was their first day. Every morning at dawn they were basically dragged from their barrack to the main platform. It was there they received their task of the day, something ever changing like the ocean waves hitting the cliff sides; never the same and always unpredictable. Some days it was as simple as hunting and bringing the kill back, others it was battles of submission where they were forced to fight one another to the edge of death. No matter, they did what they were told under penalty of pain; not death, pain, something much worse.

Today was different. When the boys in the bunker came above ground, they were greeted by what looked like little forges. _'Crafting tables'_ Jack called them. They nearly forgot, Jack's father was a blacksmith from the outskirts, so he knew a thing or two. Scattered about were materials: tongs, mallets, hammers, buckets (most likely for water), but mostly stone and crude iron.

Up on the platform was the Captain of the Guard, Captain Burns, who called for the attention of the legion of children. His instructions were clear: craft a weapon for themselves. After all in this army, the strength of a man is extended by his blade. This was to be the weapon that they carried through their training and into the army, therefore it had to be crafted to both the hand of man and boy. Much to their dismay, that meant heavy and long. It was Ray that pointed out that the soldiers had blades of steel and diamond, some even gold, but that earned him nothing but a strike to the face. However, the officer said if they wanted different materials, they'd have to mine it themselves.

"Then let's go." Tossed Michael, "Beats being stuck here."

So with packs filled they headed into the forest. The landscape was riddled with hills and cliff drops and of course trees. Off to the east were the cliffs that kissed the ocean, and the icy mountain far in the north, though distant they could make out a snowy peak. They remember the last time they tried for the north. They thought one night to sneak out of the camp to escape back to the countryside, but fruitless they were. The group was cut off by soldiers who happened to be "alerted by the king" himself. After a few attempts of the other boys, they quickly learned there was no getting out of this one.

"We should probably go downhill and dig if we want to hit any of the good stuff." Called Geoff as he hopped off one of the smaller drops, "Might even find some diamond if we're lucky."

"Not possible." Peeped Gavin as they followed their friend. But Geoff turned back and got in Gavin's face.

"What'a you mean? _Gav_." His voice slightly challenging, like facing the start of a fight. This made the little one tuck back into his shell.

"I-I heard someone ask if we'd be given diamond to work with, but the officer told him diamond off limits. If we turned up with a diamond weapon, they'd probably take it."

Geoff drew back a bit, a little embarrassed by how he intimidated the boy for no reason. "Oh… I guess that makes sense."

Michael scoffed at the idea, "Like hell we're gonna' play by _their_ rules."

"Uhh- we kinda' already are." Interjected the ginger.

"Hell no, we're getting our diamond!"

Ray hopped over a log, "Actually I was thinking of using iron. You know, something a little more elegant."

"Elegant or not, when your slaughtering men it doesn't matter how it looks."

"Whatever."

Jack stopped and put his pack down beside a short cliff side they climbed down, the sun still low in the East. Protruding from the earthen wall was a dead little tree, roots half out and barely hanging on.

"I think this is a good place to start digging. Come on give me a hand with this tree."

Though it took a while, the five boys tugged the dead thing from its hold and their pickaxes tore at the little cliff. All but one.

"Hey Gav!" Michael called out, "Where're you going?" Sure enough the Spindly boy ran off and leaped onto a tree, crawling up as easily as a cat. "Gav, what the fuck are you doing?" For a moment they dropped their tools and turned to Gavin. His little head poked out from under the lowest bow, clearly hanging upside down.

"Face it, lads. No way on earth am I going to be able to lift a sword proper or swing an axe, not even when I'm older. I mean look at these twiggy arms!" And he let his little arms flail above his hanging head.

"Yeah, but that still doesn't tell us what you're doing." Ray cocked an eyebrow.

"Imma' get a branch and make myself a bow and just make some metal arrows back at the camp." And he pulled himself back into the dense foliage of the tree.

"Okay, but you better be able to get back down because I'm not carrying you back in pieces."

"Bug off!"

An hour passed, or maybe two, it's hard to keep time when exerting hard labor, but they soon hit an iron deposit. This lot was much better since it wasn't smelted old iron like back at the camp, this was much harder and probably more durable. But Michael wasn't satisfied, his poor heart fixed on finding diamond.

"Hey it's fine." Geoff said putting an arm across the fuming boys shoulder, "You'll find diamond _someday_ , and you can just make it then."

But the child's curls stood on end before he socked him in the gut, "Get the fuck offa' me."

"Is everything alright down there?" called Gavin from what seemed like near the treetop. If you looked hard enough you could see his sandy hair peeking out from beneath the leaves.

"What are you doing up there?" replied Jack, "Surely you found a good branch, yeah?"

"Yeah I have. I'm just whittling some bits off."

Geoff stopped with a look of confusion, "Gav," he called back, "You don't 'whittle a bow."

"Well yeah I'm not actually _whittling_ it, I'm just knockin' off some bits." And with that Geoff just gave it up. "How's the mining going?"

"We're just about done." Answered Ray. The sun was high above them, they'd have enough sunlight left to forge by time they get back to camp.

"Then come on, let's just go." Huffed the curly haired boy.

Gavin shambled down and landed with a little thud, in his hands a little knife and a slightly shaped branch that wasn't that far from being a bow. "You okay, Michael?" His childish accent putting a drawl on the end of his name.

He wanted to bark at him to leave him alone, but his huge blue eyes told him he'd probably break if he did.

"Yeah, it's just getting late." His pack tossed over shoulder roughly. "Let's go."

By the time they got back, there was about four hours of sunlight left. So quickly they took to the crafting tables. Ray was careful and soft with his crafting. His iron hot and red one moment as he skillfully formed little blades shooting out of the sides of his dual edged blade. And one the iron was cooled, the black iron shined in the approaching moonlight.

Jack was forceful, each swing panging loudly making the hillsides echo with the sound. Every pang made the iron that much stronger and with the metal still hot, he forced the metal shaft into the sharp edges of his axe head. Soon the mottled metal was gleaming in the soft sunset light.

Geoff was quick keeping a rhythm, fast and sharp. The edges grew thinner and the blade sharper until it was as sharp as a needle, light as air, and fast as lightning. The tip of the sword curving into a wicked tip. But the extra metal was not wasted. No, he took those scraps and forced them together into thick cuffs. And with precision and care, he marked them; an unclosed circle with a dot in the center.

Gavin had his bow. Carving on the way, it was mostly finished and all that way left was to soak it. After so, he bent it. That was the hardest part but he put in everything. All his frustration channeled into one task, but sooner than not, his bow was bent and string stuck. And with his short blade, he carved into the wood the shape of those creatures that stalked his home land. He could almost swear he saw them here, but never really knew.

But then there was Michael. He was stuck with some hard stone he took from their dig, so all he could do was meld the stone. His sword was long and flat though thick and heavy. Every pound of the hammer held his rage. The sun was setting and the red light stained the sky, the air filled with the sound of his hammer and a yell of anguish.

At nightfall they were done and the five of them were ready for anything. But 'anything' came too fast when Captain Burns called for their attention once more. Their task not as simple as the first.

They had to take to the forest tonight, and there was only one rule:

 _Survive_


End file.
